Republic of Artsakh
Off limits, and totally illegal to visit, Agdam, Azerbaijan. Lonely Planet says “….it would be foolhardy to just waltz in on your own, it is possible…there is no guarantee you won't be arrested…” But whatever, at least I now have a cool story to tell about that time I hid from soldiers by climbing through a window of an abandoned mosque.
In 1993 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War, the entire population of about 100,000 Azeris fled, and Armenians leveled the place. Now it is a buffer zone, the front line between Armenian and Azeri forces. A real life Zombieland or Walking Dead, it is often compared to Pripyat, the abandonded city next to Chernobyl. I’ve been there too, the nothingness in Agdam is so indescribably immense, the place is totally empty except for Armenian solders, some cows, and one idiot American with a camera. Also, looking on google maps, it is insane that you can get this far without ever going through Azerbaijani immigration. Actually, stepping foot in any part of this larger de facto country, the Republic of Artsakh, makes you a criminal in Azerbaijan; with one passport page I became banned for life.
Read MoreIn 1993 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War, the entire population of about 100,000 Azeris fled, and Armenians leveled the place. Now it is a buffer zone, the front line between Armenian and Azeri forces. A real life Zombieland or Walking Dead, it is often compared to Pripyat, the abandonded city next to Chernobyl. I’ve been there too, the nothingness in Agdam is so indescribably immense, the place is totally empty except for Armenian solders, some cows, and one idiot American with a camera. Also, looking on google maps, it is insane that you can get this far without ever going through Azerbaijani immigration. Actually, stepping foot in any part of this larger de facto country, the Republic of Artsakh, makes you a criminal in Azerbaijan; with one passport page I became banned for life.
